Door latch



O. A. ANDERSON.

DOOR LATCH. 7 APPLlC-ATION FILED JULY 20,1921.

Patented Aug. 22, 192-2.

OLAF A. ANDERSON, OF HAMILTON, OHIO.

DOOR LATCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Au 22, 1922.

Application filed July 20, 1921. Serial No. 486,047.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OLAF A. ANDERSON, a citizen of the United States;and aresident of Hamilton, county of Butler, State of Ohio, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Door Latches, of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention relates to door latches especially adapted for use inconnection with motor vehicle doors and more particularly to the keeperor strike plate to be used in connection with door latches.

It is one of the objects of the invention to provide a keeper or strikeplate that may be readily substituted for the conventional strike platenow in use on existing motor vehicles so that the spring pressure behindthe door latch may be utilized to hold the door firmly against the stopand thereby prevent rattling.

A further object of the invention is to rovide a simple andcomparatively inexpensive strike plate embodying the. antirattlingfeature and which will be adapted for use in connection with the doorlatches now commonly used.

Other objects of the invention and the features of novelty willbe'apparent from the following description taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, of which;

Figure 1 is a plan of a fragment of a vehicle door and the adjacent partof the body certain parts being shown in section;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the strikeplate and door shown in Fig. 1,the parts being illustrated as seen from the left of .-Fig. 1, with the.adjacent portion of the body omitted;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. l but showing the parts of the strikeplate in another position; and

Fig. 4c is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing a modification of the strikeplate.

Referring to the drawings, 10 indicates a fragment of the vehicle bodyand 11 a fragment of a door which is adapted to close against a stop 12on the body. A latch is diagrammatically indicated at 13 and a springfor pressing the latch outwardly is indicated at 14. In this connectionit will be understood that the parts 13 and 14 merely represent thecorresponding parts of any of the usual door latches. A keeper or strlkeplate is indicated at 15 and is provided with the usual abutments 16 and17 with i which the latch 13 is adapted to cooperate for the purpose ofretaining the door 11' in the closed or partially closed position. Atthe rear of the strike plate 15 there are lugs or cars 19 and 20 betweenwhich a slot is milled or otherwise formed to receive a pin 21 which isslidable transversely of the direction of movement of the latch 13, intoengagement with the latter to force the door 11 against the stop 12.

A bell crank lever 22 on a pin 23 on the ears 19 and 20 and has arelatively long arm, the outer end of which is provided with a toe 24which projects over the abutment 16 into the path of movement of thelatch 13 in entering the strike plate. The lever 22 has a soft arm 25which projects into a slot 26 in the pin 21 so that the pin will beactuated by the movement of the lever. The leaf spring 27 is secured atone end on the back of the lever 22 by a rivet or screw 28 and has itsopposite end turned at right angles and broadened out as indicated at 29in Fig. 2 to engage the ears 19 and 20. The function of this springis'to press the lever 22 forward toward the latch 13.

From Fig. 1 it will be readily seen that the pressure of the latch 13against the toe 24.will be multiplied by the bell crank 22 so as togreatly increase the pressure of the pin 21 against the latch andthereby securely hold the door 11 against the stop 12 and preventrattling.

In Fig. 3 the parts of the strike plate are shown in their retractedpositions with the latch 13 entering the strike plate and about toengage the toe 24. In moving from the position shown in Fig. 3 to thatshown in Fig. 1, the latch 13 will cause the pin 21 to be moved againstit and thereby force the door against the stop 12.

It will be observed that the end of the pin 21 which engages with thelatch 16 is slightly beveled with reference to the longitudinal sides ofthe pin so that when the pin is pressed againstthe latch 13 the normaltendency will be to also hold it against the bottom 30 of the slot inwhich the pin moves.

Referring to Fig. 1 it will be observed that this modification isgenerally similar to the one just described with the exception that thepin 21 has all of its longitudinal sides housed in the strike plate 15which may be accomplished by having a round pin is pivotally mountedinstead ofone of rectangular cross-section" as indicated in Figures 1and 2, and drilling a suitable hole through the body" of vthe strikeplate;

The bell 'cranklever 22 has a relatively short arm 25 adapted tocooperate with the end or the pin 21' and the outer end of the pin isbeveled as indicated at 31 so that if, when the door 11' is-closed, thepin 11 against the stop is somewhat simpler than the one previouslydescribed and has the advantage of elimiw 7 claims,

21' stands in the position indicated in Fig. hits exposed end will beforced back into the strike plate by the latch 13, after which the latchwill engage with the toe 24 of the bell crank lever and return the pin21 against the latch 13 so, as to hold the door 12. This constructionnatingfthe spring 27. 4

While 1 have indicated on the drawings and described what now considerthe preferred embodiments of my invention yet ,it will be understoodthatfchanges in the movement of the latch, into engagement with thelatter, and a pivoted lever having one'arm in position vto be actuatedbysaid latch and another arm-operatively connected with said membertoactuate'same.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination of a strike latefor door latches, a member carrie thereby and x '1' movable transverselyof the direction of I movement of the latch, into engagement the latter,and a pivoted lever having a relatively long arm in position to be latefor door actuate same. i v v 3; Ina device of the class described, the

combination of a strike late for door.

latches, a member carrie thereby and movable f in a straight linetransversely of the direction of movement of the latch, into engagementwith' the latter, and 'a" pivoted bell crank, lever'having a relativelylong arm in position to" be actuated by said l'atch-in entering saidplate, and a short arm engaging said member to actuate-the same. 1

4. In a device of the class described, the combination of .a strike late-for door latches, a member carrie movable in a straight linetransversely of beveled end With which the latch is adapted to'cooperateon'entering the keeper to retract said member, and a pivoted bell cranklever having a relatively long arm in-posi tion'to be engaged by saidlatch'after said member has been "retracted and ashort arm engagingsaidmember and adapted to press same against said latch.

f 5. In adevice of the class described, theoombination ot a strike platefor door latches, a pin I carried by said plate and actuated by saidlatch, and; a short 'arm operatively connected with said member tothereby and i a I 3 the direction ofmovementof the latch, intoengagement with the latter and having a movable therein transversely ofthe direction of movement of the latch, into engage-- ment with thelatter, a pivotedlever'ha'v ing one arm positioned to be actuated bysaid latch when the latter enters said plate and another arm for movingsaid pin 5 ,against the latch when the latter moves the first arm, and aspring for maintainingvsaid pin and lever in position to be actuated bythelatch-When thelatter enters said plate.

llntestimony whereof afix my signa-.

ture;

or an a. nnnnason.

